It's Not Over, Not Yet
by xXWhiteFlashXx
Summary: Things are going fine for Lightning Farron when one day, her l'Cie mark is suddenly back. Not to mention someone's back from her past. He has impeccable timing. Post-Game
1. Chapter 1

"Claire!"

She was rudely awakened from her slumber by her younger sister coming down on her like a ton of bricks. She was never a morning person, but her sister on the other hand, was.

Her eyes flickered open to meet the identical pair that were staring down at her as her sister perched proudly on top of her.

She slammed the pillow back on her face, not yet.

"Come on, Claire. It's time you get up. You had your holiday!"

A muffled voice came from under the pillow, "What possesses you to be this happy at seven AM?"

Serah pulled the pillow off, pulling her sister up.

She resisted, not wanting the leave the sanctuary of her bed. It was the middle of winter and the wooden floors were sure to be freezing outside her carpeted bedroom.

Her sister was stronger than she had thought, and pulled her almost out of the bed. Claire rested her head in her hands, "Okay, okay! You win."

* * *

><p>She stood in the shower, staring at the knob as if it were a competition.<p>

Stay in, be late to school.

Turn it off, and have to face the cold winter air while wet.

"Come on, you know you can't stay in there all day!" She heard her sister calling from the other side of the shower door.

She sighed, turning the water off and stepping out of the shower into the bathroom that connected the sister's rooms. She walked out shutting the door and entering her closet.

Her eyes caught her winter uniform that hung in the back of the closet. She grabbed it, pulling on the white dress shirt and the long sleeve, black button up sweater on top of it. She retrieved the gray skirt with thin black plaid running over it, then the knee high black socks with a white ring around the top.

She reached high up on the shelf, causing a tsunami of balled up clothing to fall down on her. She stared at it, knowing her mother would kill her if she saw it, but she knew she didn't have time to clean it up.

She kicked it all into the corner, finding her tie on the top. She grabbed it, then hung a blanket to cover the mess. With her hair still damp, she walked into the bathroom, finding Serah in an identical outfit.

The smaller girl grabbed her tie which was essentially a square of gray cloth with a white stripe down one side and a black button to hold it in place.

The older sister leaned down, knowing that she never really understood how to tie her own tie, and Serah did it within a matter of seconds.

The tie fanned out at her neck, just reaching the long v-neck of her sweater with two buttons.

Claire grabbed the hair dryer, quickly drying it, and then pulled everything except her bangs into a pony tail.

Serah grabbed her arm, pointing at the clock. They had fifteen minutes to get to school.

* * *

><p>They walked into the kitchen, and the woman smiled. She was just about forty but looked no older than thirty. Her identical pink hair hung around her face.<p>

"Look at my girls, aren't you two adorable?"

Serah smiled and Claire scoffed, grabbing a piece of toast and slathering some butter on it hurriedly. Serah grabbed an apple, and both of the girls' lunches, knowing her sister would forget.

Meanwhile, the older sister was leaning against the wall, toast in her mouth, trying to pull her slip on shoes on.

Serah couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

><p>"I still don't know how you can manage to leave your bicycle in the middle of the driveway. You know Dad is too obnoxious to look in his rearview mirror," Claire scolded as her younger sister hitched a ride on her handlebars.<p>

She held on to their belongings as they sped down the street, "I don't know, I forgot."

The older girl scoffed, "Sure."

The older Farron stopped in front of the towering, four story, Bodhum High School. She began to lock her bike in place, and Serah handed her, her belongings.

The smaller girl gave her a peck on the cheek, and ran inside the school. The older girl strode in to her locker, and put in the three digit combination. She placed her lunch inside and pulled out her Math, Physics, and Literature book. Her first three classes.

She closed her locker just as the bell rang, she sighed, she was always late to class.

She made her way to the third floor, reserved for only the eleventh grade, and walking into Mr. Crawford's class. He had only been teaching since she had entered high school and never seemed to care about her tardy issues. He was young, about twenty six, and almost every girl in her grade was in love with him.

He laughed as he saw he walk in, which was odd, usually he would just give her an up nod.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here, Claire Farron. Looks like someone slept late."

He walked over, combing down her cowlick bang that Serah had obviously neglected to fix.

The older girl walked over, sitting down in her usual seat in the back.

Her very popular, very pretty and very blonde friend sat down next to her.

"Hey Claire!"

She gave her a weak smile, "Hey Mika."

"So, how was your weekend?"

She shrugged, "Guess it was okay."

She saw the girl narrow her eyes.

"What, Mika, spit it out!"

"...your sweater is on inside out."

All she could do was rest her head on the desk.

* * *

><p>Friday. Her favorite day of all had finally come.<p>

Usually she'd spend it sleeping and watching mind numbing TV, but Mika had somehow invited herself over. In fact, she was over so much, their mother thought of her as her adopted daughter.

They stood outside the school, waiting on Serah.

The pink haired girl glanced at her watch, "It's 3:45, and I don't think she's coming out any time soon, let's just meet her at home."

Mika nodded, mounting her glamorous, shiny, pink bike.

Claire sat on her bed, in her gray sweatpants and a black tank top, her favorite outfit. It was getting late and she heard the door close.

Both girls perked up when they heard Serah's footsteps coming up the stairs. The small girl came stumbling in, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

Mika looked at Claire, then to Serah, then back to Claire.

She knew something was wrong, because she was practically Serah's other sister, she walked over, putting her hand on Serah who was now sprawled face down over her sister's bed.

"Serah?"

They were only answered with more sobs.

Claire looked up at Mika with frightened eyes, "I, um, I think this time, she's serious."

It was true, Serah did cry a lot, but when she did, more times than not, it was over something stupid and would usually end in a few minutes. This was not one of those times.

"Yeah, I'll go."

She grabbed her things, tossing them over Claire's balcony and into the yard next door. She climbed over the fence into her yard and waved to Claire.

"Serah? Serah, what's wrong?"

Moonlight was flooding into the room, illuminating the sisters.

The girl looked up, "Derrek..."

"Derrek what?"

"He... He broke up with me."

"He did? Well he was a douche anyways. But where were you for so long?"

"We had a date today, and here, he sent me this text when I was on my way home."

Serah shoved the phone into the older girls hands. She went to the inbox and pulled up his message.

She cringed at the fact that he was in her phone as "Derrek-Boo 3"

Derrek-Boo 3

Sent: December 3rd, 6:53 PM

Received: December 3rd, 6:54 PM

Hey Serah. Look, I-uh, this is hard, but I think we should take a break. I told you about Mari, right? Yeah, my girlfriend before you. Um, I kinda still like her, and... well, I only dated you to make her jealous. She decided to give me another chance, and well, I can't turn that down, can I? So, yeah, it's over. But I do hope maybe we can be friends.

She nearly crushed the phone in her hands, but instead sat it on the table beside her bed.

"He didn't even have the decency to break up with you in person?"

She shook her head, the tears making a return.

The older girl shook her head, knowing that this was the first time her heart had ever been really broken. She knew that she had had boyfriends before, but she had ended every one of them.

The older girl leaned back, pulling her sister down onto the pillow beside her.

The smaller girl awoke suddenly, a nightmare had woken her. A dream that Pulse had attacked and her and her sister had been turned into Pulse l'Cie. She was comforted when she felt her sister's warmth behind her, protecting her, that was all she ever needed and quickly fell back into her slumber, hoping she'd chase all of her nightmares away.


	2. Chapter 2

She yawned as she sat at her desk, finishing her paper.

She heard her sister come bounding through her door, but gave no reaction to it.

"Claire?"

The older girl turned around in her chair, wearing her thin black wire frame glasses, "What is it?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you busy?"

She shook her head, putting the paper in her drawers, "Just finishing my English paper, why?"

"Well, you know those old sneakers of yours that you gave to me?"

She nodded, not knowing why this story was important enough to interrupt her for.

"Well, I left them in Mom's closet, and when I went to get them, I found this box of old pictures."

"So you were snooping around in Mom's stuff? You've got guts, sis."

The smaller girl, rolled her eyes, jumping on the bed and crossing her legs, "I'll put them back! But here, I found this picture."

Claire took it in her hands; she could tell it was pretty old.

In the picture stood a tall blonde boy in swim trunks, a few years older than herself, and a shorter girl with pink hair and a bikini on Bodhum's famous beach.

"Well…" The older girl started, "This people are both about the age of high school kids… and, look there in the background. See the banner?"

She handed it back to her sister, "It says… Bodhum High School: Class of 2367."

Claire put her face in her hands as recognition failed to cross her sister's face.

"Look, Mom and Dad graduated in 2367, that's them on their senior trip, Serah!"

The small girl snatched the picture back, "Oh wow, they're so young!"

"Well they got married in 2368, and I was born in 2370, you in 2372."

"I guess I never really calculated it up…" She continued staring at the picture, "Look at Dad, he's so tall and lanky."

The older girl laughed, climbing on the bed next to her sister, "He's always been a skinny guy though."

Both heard the front door open, knowing their mother were home.

* * *

><p>As the woman in her mid-thirties was putting her purse down on the kitchen counter, she heard both her daughters come bounding down the steps. She laughed, they sounded like an earthquake every day.<p>

She turned around, greeting her daughters and hugging them both. She hugged Claire, "Oh wow, you've gotten tall." It was true; the oldest Farron girl was now two inches taller than her mother, while her younger sister was still three inches shorter than their mother.

The woman caught a glimpse of the photo hanging limp in the youngest girl's hand.

"Serah, what is that?"

The girl blushed madly, hiding it behind her back, "I-It's nothing."

"Serah Farron, you give me that right this second!"

The girl weakly handed it over and saw as the smile grew on their mother's face.

"Oh wow, look at this. You must have been snooping around in that old picture box."

"So you're not mad?"

She shook her head, "No, no, I'll let it go this time, but stay out of there."

They heard the door open, then the footfalls of thick leather boots. Within a minute their father stood in the doorway, dressed in his Guardian Corp uniform.

The small woman turned around, "Look at what your daughter found in my closet."

She handed the picture over, and he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh wow, leave it to the Farron girls to pull up some old dirt like this. Oh man, look at my hair!"

The woman leaned over, giggling at the long blonde hair that hung down into his eyes.

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his short, now brown, hair.

"Guess what they say is true, looks don't last forever. Well, 'cept for your mom here."

He winked, smacking the woman's butt. Her face instantly turned red and the young girls cringed.

"Felix! Not in front of the girls!"

"Seriously, Dad… just no."

He opened the fridge, peering in, "What? Can't a man have some fun around here?"

Claire scowled, leaning on the bar of the counter, "Yeah you can, as long as it's not completely disturbing."

He cracked open a soda, piercing her with his identical azure eyes, "Trust me, I can do worse."

He winked, and Serah cringed. It was times like these when she knew that her sister was somehow mentally connected with their father. Both of their parents had blue eyes, but she had gotten her mother's. They were soft, never stern, and always caring. Her sister on the other hand had their father's eyes which she believed could turn someone to stone. Their father had told a story once about how he had slain a behemoth with one glare. She had no problem believing it.

* * *

><p>The older man smiled as he opened his daughter's bedroom door. The sun hadn't broken yet and the grayness of early morning blanketed the room. In a clutter of bedding sat his oldest daughter, sleeping peacefully.<p>

He walked over, a wooden spoon in one hand, one of his wife's pots in the other.

He bent down, whispering in the girl's ear, "Good morning, Claire." He then put the spoon into the pot and began banging away. She had always been a heavy sleeper, and he did not have the patience of his wife to sweetly nudge her awake. He went for the more… military approach.

It must have worked because the lanky tall girl shot out of the bed, grabbing a bat from under her bed before realizing it was her own father who awakened her from her slumber.

"Dad!" She drug out to word to show her distaste.

The man only smiled, "Training time!"

* * *

><p>Serah awoke, looking over at her holographic alarm clock she had gotten for her last birthday.<p>

10:28 AM.

She drowsily pulling on a pair of gray shorts and a tank top, and brushed her teeth. She walked down the steps, grabbing a granola bar, and walking out on the sundeck. She looked out, past the Farron's pool, and could see her father and sister training in his "dojo" as he liked to call it, which was really a sandy area he had fenced off and filled with training equipment.

She walked out, still barefoot, into the training area.

The two fought with large sticks, a foot taller than her sister. Their father swung, and she jumped using his shoulder as a foothold to jump over him and land on the other side. She then swung her stick, sweeping his feet out from under him. He quickly fell, and she put the pole away, dusting her hands off.

"16 out of 30?" He asked, still on the ground.

She rolled her eyes, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants that bunched around her bare ankles, and a black tank top.

"No, training is over. I'm tired. And I want to go back to bed."

"That laziness will get you nowhere, but fine, if you want. Serah, you wanna try?"

The girl shook her head feverishly, "No, no, I'm fine."

The older girl smirked, "Good choice."

* * *

><p>"You're transferring to PSICOM?" The woman sounded worried.<p>

"Shh, Aryll, I don't want the girl's to find out…"

Loud laughter and giggles could be heard from the room beside them.

"Look, it's dangerous. If I had the choice, I'd stay on with the Corps, but I don't. Just, I'll tell them when the time's right."

She hugged her husband, knowing that his real worry was not for himself, but for his two innocent daughters.


	3. Chapter 3

"Claire, I don't think this is a good idea."

The older girl scoffed, pulling her younger sister by the wrist. It was yet another uneventful Saturday in their hometown of Bodhum, and she had decided to go on an adventure. She had secretly taken one of their father's swords from when he was a private very early in his career, should the two run into trouble.

"Where are we going?"

Claire climbed into a small boat that the Farron family owned, and turned the key.

"Claire! You're going to get us in trouble!"

She shrugged, "Whatever, Dad's been so busy lately, I doubt he'll notice. Anyways, I'll be fifteen soon, it's not like I'm breaking any laws."

"But you are!"

She rolled her eyes, "Come on, Serah! Live a little."

* * *

><p>The pair pulled up to the back of the Vestige that sat in the great ocean Bodhum was famous for. She had rode over there a few times, and found a loose panel. She bent it back, just far enough where the two could squeeze in. She pulled the anchor out of the water and hooked it on a pipe inside the vestige, then used a camouflage device (also taken from her father) to turn the boat invisible.<p>

She climbed in, then helped Serah climb in herself.

The two looked around them, stairs were everywhere.

"So, where inside the vestige? Isn't this illegal?"

The older girl shrugged, trudging along, inspecting things, "Probably. No one's been in here for like 500 years or something."

"494, and I don't think we should be in here, sis."

The girl began to shake, and the older Farron took her hand, "Come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

><p>The girls made their way to a clearing where two crystals sat on either side of a hallway.<p>

The older girl ran ahead, inspecting them. She ran her fingers over the surface, her eyes widening.

"Are… Are these… l'Cie?"

Serah walked up behind her, "Their not Cocoon l'Cie, that's for sure. If you had payed attention in our class on Fal'Cie you'd know that these aren't the crystal formations of Cocoon l'Cie."

The older girl further inspected them, judging one was a woman, about twenty one, with a fierce look in her eye, and the other was a girl with pigtails, who looked almost… happy?

"So… they're… Pulse l'Cie?"

She turned to look at Serah who's face drained to pale as she nodded. Claire's eyes widened, "We've gotta get out of here."

She grabbed, Serah's wrist pulling her down the corridors back to their boat.

* * *

><p>The two sat on Claire's bed, the moonlight illuminating the pair.<p>

"Serah, here's the deal. We tell no one about what we saw, or where we went, understood?"

"But… why? Shouldn't we tell someone what's in there?"

"Don't you get it, Serah? They were Pulse l'Cie. They find out we were near them, they quarantine us, maybe even execution. And I don't think you want to die at twelve, do you?"

The girl shook her head, and her older sister hugged her, "Then we tell no one. Pinky promise?"

The girl nodded holding out her smallest finger, "Pinky promise."

"Then I think it's time you go to bed."

The younger girl retreated to her room and she lied back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She thought about how she felt when she saw those two crystals…

An unexplainable feeling of sheer terror.

She had little idea that they were the two who in six years' time, would shatter her life in to bits.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: The song is "Be Gentle With Me" by The Boy Least Likely To. I don't own it. But I do love it. :)

* * *

><p>Serah stood at her locker; trying to pull her geometry book out of the clutter she called her locker. She wished that hers was as organized as her older sister's, who never misplaced anything.<p>

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to find a very tall and lanky young man with long black hair and piercing silver eyes. At first, he sent a shiver through her spine, but then she heard his voice. It was not too low, but not to high, and extremely kind and gentle.

"Um, I'm sorry to bother you, it's just, it's my first day here, and I need to drop off some papers at the Guidance office, only... I don't know where it is..."

Serah giggled, "It's down this hallway, take a left, then a right and it's right there. Can't miss it."

He smiled, "Thanks, um, my name's Blaise."

He held out his hand, and she took it, "Serah, Serah Farron, nice to meet you."

Suddenly, a taller girl walked by, "Come on, Serah. It's time to go home. I'll meet you out front."

Time seemed to slow down as she walked away, heading out the door. He could feel his heart pumping erratically and his knees becoming uneasy. When she rounded the corner the small girl snapped in front of his face.

"Hello? Blaise?"

He shook his head, "You know her?"

She nodded, almost laughing, "That's my older sister, Claire. Don't worry; I don't think she noticed you staring."

His face turned the slightest shade of pink.

"She... She's beautiful."

Serah leaned against the lockers, "Try telling her that."

"What? She doesn't like herself?"

She shook her head, frowning, "Nah, never has really."

He hung his head, frowning. How could such a beautiful girl think she is so ugly?

"Well, you probably should get going, she didn't sound too happy."

Serah laughed, "Yeah."

"Oh," He reached over, easily grabbing the geometry book, "Here you go."

"Thanks! See you around, okay?"

He nodded, smiling, "See you around."

* * *

><p>Serah giggled, letting Blaise into the back gate of the Farron house. Over the past weeks, Serah had introduced him to her and his infatuation grew deeper. They had talked, she found out he was from Eden and his father had gotten a job down in Bodhum and his family had moved. And he had found out about her life here.<p>

Serah gave him a wink, and then quickly ran back upstairs into her own bedroom. She looked out the window as he pulled his guitar out of it's case and began to play the song he had written in only a day.

"Starin' up into the solar system, All the stars are fixed up in the sky. I just want to sparkle for a moment, before I just fizzle out and die."

Claire yawned, opening her eyes. She walked out on the balcony, rubbing her eyes because she couldn't quite fathom what was really there.

"I'm happy because I'm stupid, scared of spiders, scared of flying. If I wasn't so happy, I wouldn't be scared of dying."

Serah looked into her sister's room, seeing her on the balcony. She giggled and ran back to her own window.

"So just be gentle with me, I'm not as young as I was. And I'll be gentle with you. I'm not as brave as I thought, cause my hearts gets broken so easily."

She smiled, she couldn't believe that the boy who claimed he'd never fall in love, was standing in her backyard... singing to her.

"So just be gentle with me."

* * *

><p>"Aryll, Aryll wake up. Do you hear that?"<p>

The woman sat up on her elbows, "Felix, it's late, what are you talking about-" She heard the sound coming from the back of the house... it sounded like... singing.

"I'm going to go check it out."

The man ran out of the room before she could say another word. She climbed up on her bed, peering out the window to see a tall boy with a guitar singing.

* * *

><p>Claire stood in the grass, feeling the moistness of the cold ground beneath her bare feet. She looked straight into his silver eyes, smiling. She slowly put her hands onto his face that was now bright red from the cold wind.<p>

"So just be gentle with me, trouble is sometimes and I'll be gentle with you. I just cant switch myself off. When I want to so I never do, because I'm mental, be gentle, be gentle. Just be gentle, be gentle, be gentle.

And I'll be gentle, be gentle, be gentle with you..."

His voice faded out, and he let his guitar fall on the strap behind him. He leaned in, pressing his lips to her's, wrapping his arms around her waist.

They were rudely interrupted when he felt a large hand grab the back of his shirt, pulling him way.

"Dad!" The girl screamed.

"Who are you?" He demanded angrily.

"Bl-Blaise, Blaise Storm, sir."

"What are you doing here?"

He blushed, averting his eyes, "I... I'm in love with your daughter."

It was then the man felt a small, soft hand on his arm, "Dear, let the boy go."

He was reluctant, but he let the boy down.

The woman smiled at the obviously frightened boy, "You are a sweet boy, obviously. And you are welcome to see our daughter, I mean, if she wants to, but how about you come by tomorrow and we can all meet on better circumstances? He's a nice man, but her father is very grumpy when awoken from his sleep."

He laughed, kissing Claire on the cheek and left through the gate.

* * *

><p>"Lightning, Lightning, wake up."<p>

The girl slowly opened her eyes, seeing her sister standing beside her bed. She leaned up quickly, then moaned as a gut wrenching pain surged through her.

"Light, Light, don't sit up too fast, you're still healing."

She leaned back on her pillow as her younger sister pulled up her black tank top.

"Oh wow, that King Behemoth really took a bite out of you."

The small girl gently unwrapped the blood soaked bandages and pulled out new ones. She placed them under her sister's back, then sprayed disinfectant on her wounds. She saw the girl instantly bite her lip to keep from screaming.

"I know, I know, but rather this than get one of those nasty infections they carry."

Lightning nodded, pulling her shirt back down.

When she was done, Serah helped her lean back on her headboard so she could sit up.

"So what were you dreaming about, I heard you talking in your sleep last night."

Lightning glanced over, seeing a cot next to her bed. Her sister must've slept there to keep an eye on her.

A slight pink shade crossed her cheeks, "Wh-What did I say?"

"You told someone you loved them... but not in the way that you'd tell me. Lightning, do you have a boyfriend?"

"Wha-no, of course not."

"Then what were you dreaming about?"

"Do you remember Blaise, from high school?"

She nodded, "You mean that boy that was infatuated with you? Of course."

"Well, ever since I changed my name, and moved on, I haven't thought of him, but lately I've been having a lot of dreams from when I was Claire."

"Maybe it's a sign of something good to come, who knows?"


	5. Chapter 5

Lightning sighed as she pulled on a fitted v-neck black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It felt good to be in civilian clothing again after wearing her uniform for so long. Granted, they weren't the super quality of clothing from Cocoon that she was used to, but never the less, they were comfortable.

Even though she was still in pain, there were some urgent matters to attend to as a Captain in the Guardian Corps. She doubted she'd ever get used to the glances and whispering that seemed to happen when she walked through the streets.

"Look, its Lightning Farron."

"She's one of those l'Cie!"

"She saved Cocoon!"

She wished they actually come talk to her instead of just whispering about her as she passed by. She gasped as suddenly she collided with another person on the street, spilling the contents of his bag.

She looked up, seeing a tall man with messy black hair, a short beard picking up over his chin and thin wire framed glasses.

"Oh, I am so sorry, ma'am. I was distracted and I-"

She laughed, picking up his papers, "Its fine."

They stood up, shaking hands, "So you're Lightning Farron, wow, I've seen you on the newscasts but I never thought I'd actually meet you. Um, I'm Blaise, Blaise Storm."

"Blaise? You went to Bodhum High School, right?"

He narrowed his eyes, "...yes..."

"And you had a certain infatuation with a girl named Claire, right?"

"Um... yeah..."

She laughed, "Well looks like you found her."

"Wait... what?"

"I think there's a story you need to hear. Sit down."

* * *

><p><em>Serah laughed as Claire threw a mound of snow at her. It was the first snowfall of the season and everyone was excited, even though their father was working late again.<em>

_The two girls continued their snowball fight and making a snowman until two PSICOM troops came walking up to their doorway. They turned to the older girl, "Is this the Farron residence?"_

_She nodded._

_"Is your mother here?"_

_She gulped, "Uh... she's inside."_

_They nodded, walking up to their door._

_Serah had gone around to the back of the house to pee as she didn't want to have to go back inside. Claire watched intently as the men talked. "Felix...dead...we're sorry."_

_She watched as her mother burst into tears on the spot, and she ran quickly behind the house to get her sister. The younger girl quickly yanked up her pants, "Claire!"_

_"Shh, come on."_

_The older girl grabbed her hand, pulling the two into their tree house._

_"What is it, Claire? What?"_

_The older girl's eyes were filling with tears, but she blinked them back, she had to be strong for Serah, "Dad's... he's dead."_

_She could only watch as her twelve year old sister began to cry hysterically and fall on her. They both had to come to terms with the fact they'd never see their father again._

_And the woman Lightning, began to emerge._

* * *

><p><em>Claire stared out the window, snow blanketed the ground, but it was no longer amusing. It was more of an unmoving nuisance that got her boots wet in the morning, and made the world that much colder.<em>

_"Claire..."_

_She heard her mother call weakly from the hospital bed._

_She quickly ran over, holding her frail, weak hand in hers._

_"Dear... this is it for me... but I want you... -cough- I want you to promise me to take care of your sister... she's a gentle soul, I'm not saying you should hide her from reality... but things happen that she can't take... just make sure she's safe..."_

_"Mom..."_

_"Come here, Sunshine." The older girl bent down and her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I love you..."_

_The heart monitor flat lined and doctors and nurses seemed to flow in from every crack, they separated her from her mother, and she quickly went to find Serah._

* * *

><p>"So... when you 'moved' it was because your parents died."<p>

The girl nodded, sitting on the edge of the fountain, "Yes... My grandparents in Eden wanted to take us... but they're divorced, and I knew they would separate us, so, I-and I'm not proud of this- but I got some help to forge a new identity. And I became Lightning. I needed to be an adult, so I thought I needed to forget my past. But I was still just a kid. But I joined the GC and well... you know the rest. My sister was made a l'Cie, and I did everything I could to save her."

"Clai-I mean Light."

"What is it?"

She looked over.

"I-I really missed you, you know..."

"I-"

Her communicator buzzed and she grabbed it off her hip.

"Hello? Yes, Commander... I'm sorry... I'll be there. Yes, yes, I know I'm late. Okay, goodbye."

She closed it, shoving it back in her pocket, and grabbing her sword she had dropped in their collision.

"I'm so sorry, Blaise, I've got to get back to HQ. My Commander will gut me like a behemoth if I am late for the meeting with the Admiral of the Fleet. I'll see you around, kay?"

With that, Lightning Farron took off.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so stern with you Farron, but you're usually never late."<p>

Lightning sighed, the Admiral of the Fleet had had to cancel last minute and she now was sitting in her Commander's office, Commander Amodar.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I ran into a civilian I knew back in high school, but I should've put my duties first, I'm sorry."

She bowed her head, then felt the rough touch of Amodar's fingertip push her head back up. So that's where she had gotten it from when she did it to Hope... Amodar.

"No need to be so formal, Lightning. If I had a choice, you'd be Admiral of the Fleet, not that old buzzard they've got now. Remember, you're like a daughter to me, Farron, nothing you do is ever going to disappoint me. I mean for the Maker's sake, you saved us all!"

She smiled, "Thank you, Amodar. I appreciate it."

"So if my memory serves me," he leaned back in his chair, "someone's twenty-third birthday is coming up, no?"

She nodded, "That's right. April first."

He let out a hardy laugh, "That's right; you're the April Fool of the Guardian Corp."

She laughed, all through her life that was what she was teased about. Her birthday fell on April Fool's day.

"Yeah, the April fool, right here. Don't forget, it's this April fool who saved your ass."

He laughed harder, tears forming in his eyes, "I can see age hasn't put a damper on your fight. So, anyways, this year we're reviving the Bodhum firework show. Last year we were all still getting settled in, but I think it'll be good for the people to see that this life isn't so bad. And ironically, it can be a early birthday gift for you, since it does happen on March 31st every year."

"I see... you do realize it's already March 25th, right?"

He jumped up from his chair, "Really? Oh man, I've gotta start getting things set up. Thanks for the reminder, Farron. Why don't you take some time off until after your birthday?"

She was about to protest, but he was long gone out the door.

* * *

><p>"Whatcha packing for, sis?"<p>

Serah sat down on the bed, Lightning's bed.

"I'm going to go out to Oerba for a bit. See how Fang and Vanille are."

"But your birthday is just around the corner!"

"I'll be back, I promise. I just need to get out of here for a while, I've been feeling kinda out of it."

Serah let out a defeated sigh, "Fine, Light. Guess I'll see you when you get back..."

Lightning suddenly felt a twinge of guilt, and she grabbed Serah's arm.

"Hey, why don't I bring you back some of those flowers from Oerba? You like those, don't you?"

Suddenly a bright smile spread of Serah's face as if she was a child, "Oh wow, would you Light? They don't naturally grow anywhere on this side of Pulse! Especially near the ocean!"

Light nodded, "Of course, I'll get Vanille to pick you out some good ones."


	6. Chapter 6

"Have a good trip, Lightning."

Amodar smiled, then hugged her.

She nodded, "I will, and thanks again for letting me borrow your plane since mine is getting some repairs done."

"No problem, Farron. Have a safe trip."

She nodded, smiling, then turned around to face the cold white enamel of the ship identical to the one she had taken to Cocoon from Pulse two years ago.

She took a deep breath then stepped into the plane. She took off her jacket and set it on the seat behind her and began to start the plane.

* * *

><p>She landed in Oerba a short hour later to see Fang picking up spare metal from the broken bridge that she landed on.<p>

The Oerba woman quickly stood up, putting a hand over her eyes as a visor so she could see the extremely reflective plane that had landed.

She smiled instantly once she saw the pink haired woman emerge from the plane. Fang could see something different about her. Due to Oerba's humidity and year round warm to hot temperature, she was dressed in a black tanktop and a pair of rather short civilian gray shorts. She also wore a pair of converse on her feet and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

Fang put down the metal and began to walk over, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Ms. Farron. What brings you to Oerba?"

Lightning laughed, pulling down the hatch of the ship where she kept her things, "Needed a break from Cocoon people. Thought you guys wouldn't mind having a visitor."

The raven hair woman smiled, "Well, it's always nice to have you around. I see you got a lot of bags there." She grabbed her communicator, she had always hated Cocoon technology but she got some use of it and decided to keep it.

"Hey, Vanille...no nothings wrong... send him down here... no, just need a bit of help... okay, see you in a few minutes."

"What was that all about?"

"Didn't think I was going to carry those bags, were you?"

"Then who..."

She was cut off to see a silver haired man jumping over the broken crumb lings of the bridge. He was tall, obviously very sweaty, and was dirty.

"Is that..."

Again, she was cut off by Fang, "Oh, thanks Hope, I just need a bit of help here. Seems we have an unannounced visitor."

He looked up, a smile spread on his face, "Lightning!"

He ran over, but was grabbed by the shirt by Fang, "No, no boy. Look at her, she's clean, and look at you, well... you're not. Make yourself useful, get her bags and bring them back, kay?"

* * *

><p>Lightning smiled as she walked into Fang and Vanille's home to see her crouched over accessing something from Bahkti's database.<p>

"Vanille?"

She was intrigued. That voice sounded so familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She turned around to see the pink-haired woman smiling at her. She quickly jumped up, running over to hug her. She hadn't seen her since Cocoon had fallen.

"Lightning! It's you!"

Lightning let out a laugh, patting her head, "Guess it is, Vanille."

Later that night, the four sat out at the end of the broken bridge where it seemed like ages ago, they had fought Dysley.

They sat in silence until Fang spoke up, "What brings our Cocoon girl out here?"

"Yeah, Light, why come all the way out to Oerba?"

She shrugged, "Don't know, just kinda needed to get away."

* * *

><p>Serah and Snow sat watching a movie when the doorbell rang. Snow started to get up, but she stopped him.<p>

"I'll go get it."

She stood up, walking to the door. She opened it to see a tall, lanky man about Snow's height. He had jet black hair and soft silver eyes.

"Hi, I'm looking for a Lightning Farron. I've heard she lives here."

Serah was used to this, reporters looking for her sister. The others of the group had gladly sold their stories, but for some reason, Lightning had never wanted to talk about what happened, not even to her own sister.

"Um, I'm sorry, she's out of town. And she doesn't really like reporters..."

Serah cringed at the memory of the last reporter that had come about a month ago. He had tried to get a story, but left with a broken bleeding nose.

The man raised his eyebrow, then laughed, "You're Serah, right? Her younger sister?"

Serah narrowed her eyebrows, "Yeah..."

"You remember me, right? Blaise, Blaise Storm."

Her eyes lit up, "Blaise! You've grown up so much, I hardly recognized you!"

She jumped on him, giving him a hug, "Please, please, come in."

Snow looked up, "Serah who's that?"

"Snow, don't be rude. This is Blaise Storm; I went to high school with him. So did Lightning. Well, when she was Claire."

He stood up, he'd never met someone the same height as him before. Though, they were two different builds. Snow was strong, like a wall, and Blaise looked like a feather could knock him over. Much like Hope.

He held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Snow, Snow Villers, Serah's fiancé."

The man shook it, looking back at Serah, "Where's Clair-I mean, Lightning? I just saw her yesterday."

"Oh, you saw her? She just left for Oerba to visit the other l'Cie. She didn't mention you, though."

"That's... odd. She seemed happy to see-"

The phone rang, Snow jumped up to get it.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Fang herself. What's up?"

Serah looked over at Snow.

"Yeah. Okay," Snow looked back, "Here, she wants to talk to you, Serah."

She narrowed her eyes, taking the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey there, little Farron, got some news for you."

"What is it?"

"Well, big Farron, aka Lightning, has gone of the deep end. Mate, I don't know what's wrong with her. She was screaming at Hope last night, and Vanille told me she ran off last night. Out to Pulse. So, we don't really know where she is."

"Fang! Then why don't you go find her?"

"And have her bite my head off? No thank you. I'll pass. Oh wait, here comes, Vanille."

Fang covered the speaking end of her communicator. Vanille held her staff in her hand.

"Fang, I'm gonna go out to look for Lightning. She left all of her stuff here except for those clothes she had on and her sword. I wanna make sure she's alright. Kept an eye on Hope, okay?"

Fang nodded, ruffling the smaller girl's hair, "Be careful, alright? Make sure you take your communicator."

Vanille nodded, hugged Fang, then ran off towards the Pulse wilderness.

"Well, looks like Vanille is going to go look for her. So, yeah, just thought I'd let you know."

"Y-Yeah, Fang. Call me if you hear anything else..."

Serah hung up the phone. "Well, what is it, Serah?"

"Snow... Lightning's apparently gone crazy. Fang said she ran off last night into Pulse."

Snow laughed, "Looks like sis is outta her mind."

Serah punched his shoulder, "It's not funny! Seriously! She could get hurt!"

Snow bent down, "Look, sis knows how to take care of herself. I remember one time when we were camping out in Pulse; she took down a King Behemoth all by herself. She'll be fine."

Serah nodded, looking back at Blaise, "I'm sorry... I, uh, that was rude. But it's nice to see you again."

He nodded, "Isn't her birthday April 1st? I thought it was coming up..."

"Yeah, yeah it is... But I doubt she'll even have a party now, I mean... I don't know what's wrong with her..."

* * *

><p>"Lightning, oh, Lightning! Come out; come out, wherever you are!"<p>

Vanille yelled in her childish voice, but there was no reply.

She sighed, "Olly, olly oxen free!"

Again, there was no reply.

"Oh come on! This is no fair, Light! Where are you?"

She huffed, sitting down, cross-legged in a clearing surrounded by trees.

"If you don't come out, I'm going to hold my breath!"

She took in a big gulp of air, then held it in. She waited for about a minute, then let it out, gasping.

She stood up, walking farther into the forest, nearing the Sunleth Waterscape.

"Marco!"

But no one returned with "Polo". She huffed again, she was getting no where with this.

Vanille was becoming irritated, believing that Lightning could actually hear all her yelling, even though she could be on the other side of the landscape.

"Claire Farron! Where are you!"

She walked into the Sunleth Waterscape just as the Pulsian sun was setting. She had forgotten how beautiful it was. Over the past two years, she hadn't ventured out of Oerba with so much work needing to be done.

She looked up to the clearing where she remembered Snow and Lightning arguing over Serah when they had been l'Cie. She decided that that would be a safe place to camp for the night.

She slowly began to climb the large rock formations to get to the bluff, scratching her legs in the process.

When she finally emerged into the tall Pulsian grass, she saw a section of grass that seemed to disappear. As if something was lying on top of it. Thinking it was a rock, she ventured closer to see a slumbering Lightning fast asleep in the grass.

This was the first time she had ever seen the cold solider asleep. She was always the last to sleep and the first awake in their journeys. She stepped closer, wanting to see the Farron's face up close, but in the process, snapped a twig, waking the girl instantly.

Lightning shot to her feet, grabbing her sword and held out her arm, "Thundara!"

Rays of lightning shot down atop Vanille and she screamed in pain. Lightning's face turned pale when she realized who she had attacked.

She quickly ran over, putting her hand on Vanille, "Cura."

The blue magic ran out of her hand, bringing Vanille back to how she was. She had to admit, she was a little sore, but at least now she wasn't about to die. But this event had done nothing to cure Lightning's anger.

"Vanille! What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Oerba?"

"L...Lightning..."

"What? What is it, Vanille?"

The small girl's eyes widened, and Lightning realized what she was staring at, she covered her hand, bringing them against her.

"What?"

Vanille walked over to her, grabbing her hand, "You... you used l'Cie magic..."

"Yeah, so what?"

"When everyone lost their brands, they lost their magic, how did you use it."

Lightning took a deep breath, pulling down the collar of her shirt, revealing the black arrows that were inked on her skin.

"There, are you happy? I showed you. I didn't want anyone to know. I can handle it."

"What happened?"

Tears picked up at her eyes, "Do you think I know, Vanille? I just found it the morning I left! I didn't want Serah to see it. I don't know what on Pulse my focus is, and I'm probably just going to turn Cie'th!"

Vanille stayed quiet as she walked to the edge of the grass.

"Nothing in my life has ever gone right, so why should this?"


End file.
